Los Angeles Lakers: Top 10 duos in franchise history

2. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1979-80) – 25.3 win shares, 23 average PER

Kareem and Magic have polar opposite personalities, but when they were on the court together it was a match made in heaven. Magic’s exuberance for the game eventually rubbed off on the stoic Kareem and they each brought out the greatness in each other when they played together.

It is symbolic that the biggest shot in Magic’s was a skyhook to help win a championship over the Boston Celtics because Kareem built his legacy using that move. Kareem has often admitted throughout the years that it was Magic’s enthusiasm that made him learn to stop and smell the roses a little bit and enjoy the ride a little more.

No moment together showed their stunning opposite characteristics like the first game of Magic’s career. Kareem hit a sky hook over multiple defenders at the buzzer to give the Lakers the first win of the season and rookie Magic jumped into his arms as if they had just won the NBA title. This was a reaction that Kareem was not used to because it was just the first game, but he accepted once he realized that is just how Magic was.

In Magic’s rookie season they won their first NBA title together, and that season was chosen for this list because Kareem was closest to his prime in this season with Magic. Even though it was just his first NBA season, Magic was still absolutely legendary. In one of the best moments of his career, he won the finals MVP after Kareem went down and he famously played center and all four other positions in Game 6 to top the Sixers.

Kareem is actually the all-time leader in win shares for a career and a single season, and this combo combined barely made it above the 25 win share mark that is Kareem’s record for a single season in win shares in 1971-72.